Ditta Sandico, “wrap artiste,” clothing designer and indigenous fashion advocate, discusses her 40-year journey in the fashion industry in the recently launched book, It’s A Wrap: Unraveling the Future of Fashion. Published by Far Eastern University, written by Francine Medina Marquez, and edited by Gayle Zialcita, It’s A Wrap draws inspiration from indigenous communities, most...
Category: Books
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Reclaiming connection in seemingly ordinary moments
Irene Laturnas Velasco and I are both from Negros Oriental. She grew up in the town next to mine, and long before we became close we already shared many common friends and stories. She is friends with my older brother and cousins, too. But strangely enough, it took adulthood for us to really find each...
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Plant a tree, but make sure it’s not mahogany
Every tree has a story, a name, a role in healing, Glenda Flores Co told her audience. She spoke in elegant Filipino—“Bawa’t puno ay may kwento, may pangalan, may silbi sa paghilom”—at the close of the program held to launch the book “Philippine Native Trees 404: Rooted and Rising” last April 28 at Club Filipino...
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Vivid portraits of Filipino Americans Philip Vera Cruz and Narciso Manzano
Filipinos are generally unaware of the personal histories of Filipino Americans who played significant roles in the transitional period of the Commonwealth, the Japanese Occupation of the Philippines, and the postwar republic. Pioneering authors Craig Scharlin and Lilia V. Villanueva have produced two books on such key figures—Philip Vera Cruz, who led Filipino immigrants in...
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Finding presence in 2026: Lessons from Ben&Ben’s ‘The Traveller Across Dimensions’
The folk band Ben&Ben’s latest project offers an intentional idea for a New Year’s resolution: to be more “present with love.” It’s the central theme of their recently launched ebook, “The Traveller Across Dimensions” (TTAD), which serves as a reading companion to their album of the same title—and as a showcase of the band’s talent...
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They’re not pop stars but ‘lodis’ of a revolutionary kind
Carol Pagaduan-Araullo, Satur C. Ocampo, Bonifacio P. Ilagan and Judy Taguiwalo are familiar names. They’re not pop stars but each is definitely an idol—or lodi in colloquial Filipino. The streets are their platform, where, along with the late Marie Hilao-Enriquez, they are recognized for fighting for the people’s rights and resisting oppression and injustice. On...
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A portrait of the Filipino as the eternal optimist
A lesser-known aspect of the Filipino diaspora is the phenomenon of older, relatively-successful, mid- or late-career countrymen and -women choosing to pull up roots and make a go of it in a foreign land, despite the uncertainty and hardship this might entail—all for the prospect of a better life for their families. You’ve probably heard...
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An abundant harvest of books that includes a special edition of Renato Constantino’s ‘A Past Revisited’
The current harvest of books is particularly abundant, and includes a special hardbound edition of Renato Constantino’s “A Past Revisited” as well as Atom Araullo’s “A View from the Ground,” Benjamin Pimentel’s “UG: The Life and Struggle of Edgar Jopson,” and Roderick Toledo’s “The Ruminant Ant & Other Essays.” “A Past Revisited” was first published...
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F.H. Batacan talks about writing crime fiction and her new book of short stories
At the Quezon City Public Library (QCPL) main branch’s conference room on June 19, crime writer F.H. Batacan is telling everyone that she’ll be reading an excerpt from her short story titled “The One Cry.” It’s in her new book, “Accidents Happen,” a collection of her previously published short stories. It features journalist Joanna Bonifacio,...
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2 journalists write Covid diary based on years of living in China
Filipino American journalists Rene Pastor and Cristina DC Pastor did not expect the heavy knock on the door of their Beijing apartment one night in 2020. It turned out that it was time for midnight Covid-19 tests. The couple’s newly released book, Living in China 2019 to 2023: A COVID Diary, recaptures the panic in...